This invention relates generally to television receiver cabinets and specifically to the backs for such cabinets. The growth of television viewing over the years has resulted in a proliferation of television receiver sizes and styles to meet the needs of the viewing public. Assuming a fixed total market volume and a fixed market share as the number of different receiver models in a manufacturer's product line increases, the percentage of sales of any particular model generally decreases. This is generally true for any mass produced product. Simply stated, economic disadvantages are incurred in producing a large variety of models. Consequently, manufacturers try to standardize on component parts and hardware as much as possible.
In the aforementioned copending application, the economics of providing relatively limited quantities of ultramodern style console receivers is discussed. An attractive partial solution is provided by that invention which involves fabricating a major part of the cabinet of formed, rather than molded plastic. The part (a decorative cabinet front) contributes greatly to the esthetic appeal of the receiver and is producible with relatively low tooling costs. (The advantages of formed plastics over molded plastics is primarily in tooling cost and tooling time.) Thus, for a small manufacturer, or for a large manufacturer with an extensive product line, the advantages of vacuum or thermal forming of television receiver cabinet parts may be considerable.
Normally the back of the television receiver is unimportant from an esthetic point of view, since it is rarely exposed to view. Ultra-modern receivers, on the other hand, often present a substantial portion of the receiver back to view and these backs are designed as tastefully as possible, while enabling them to perform their primary functions of enclosing the receiver and providing ventilation.
Television receiver plastic backs, as contrasted with picture tube escutcheons, are generally limited to portable type receivers with all-plastic cabinets having few, if any, separate structural members. The backs are molded, because they must play a structural role in the receiver cabinet and include a plurality of ventilating apertures, the size and position of which must be accurately controlled, to conform to various safety criteria. Since forming the back from a sheet of plastic would necessitate an expensive milling operation to produce these ventilating apertures as well as require additional structural support members, molded parts are almost universally used.
In console receivers, the backs are generally made of pressed board or the like. In ultra-modern style consoles, often having many curved free flowing lines, the pressed board would be exposed to view and not be suitable. Thus a partially decorative back for such a receiver would be of molded plastic.
To offset the dual drawbacks of high tooling cost and low volume in such ultra-modern style receivers, the present invention utilizes a two piece cabinet back. The center portion is preferably a molded plastic back used in large quantities for one or more popular portable television receiver in the manufacturer's line and the outer portion is a low cost formed piece for extending the closure area of the molded portion, preferably in a contoured manner. Thus a large screen ultramodern style receiver may use a conventional molded back from a smaller or similar size receiver with a formed, outer section contoured as desired.